Taxation
* Planks about taxes and taxation from Mark Rauterkus * Taxation-plank-Ludwig, 2005. Statements * Taxation is theft statement from Timothy Crowley in July, 2006 Background * The federal government can run a deficit. Pittsburgh can't fun a deficit any longer. : For years under Mayor Tom Murphy, the city ran in the red. The city leaders spent all of the city's savings. The city was not supposed to run at a loss year after year. Pittsburgh ran a chronic deficit and should have made the harder decisions years ago that would have prevented this crisis. With the Act 47 supervision, Pittsburgh got handed a list of budget cuts. Tax relief isn't about giving away. It is about giving back. If the trillions spent on welfare went to the poor, they'd be rich. It's tax money for the bureaucrats out of the pockets of the people. The state takes money from the poor, while pretending to help the poor. Let's reduce the cost-of-living for the poor by removing government obstacles, rather than placing additional obstacles on the poor and others. * Eliminate the "occupational privilege tax" ::A job is a necessity, not a privilege. As I understand this tax, it does not discriminate based on income * Eliminate the income tax on incomes under $20,000/year ::Again, as I understand, the state and local tax systems charge a flat rate on all income, regardless of the income level of the individual. * Eliminate property tax on improvements. ::These taxes discourage improvement of property, thereby reducing the supply of good housing and increasing costs for everyone. In the short term, it may be possible to target this tax cut to low-cost housing, perhaps by limiting it to residential buildings and applying it to the first $50,000 of improvements on a particular lot (but what about multi-family buildings?) * Eliminate Social Security taxes and other payroll taxes ::These are incredibly regressive, and a recipe for eternal wage-slavery. As the government takes the surplus money from the poorest families in our community, it severely limits their ability to attain economic independence and advancement. If we need an old-age pension and disability insurance, they should be paid out of the general fund. Other costs are imposed on the poor that are not taxes. Think again about the PA tax code Cigarettes are taxable in Pennsylvania. Cigars are not. Novels are taxable, but cocktail mixers are not. "We tax books, but we don't tax cigars, candy, gum, bitters, grenadine and noncarbonated cocktail mixers," she state Sen. Lisa M. Boscola, D-Northampton. "Even garter belts are not taxed." The message: Pennsylvania values drinking, cigar smoking and lingerie more than literacy. The state needs to send a better message about its values, said Joe Geiger, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations. Pittsburgh's payroll preparation tax The payroll preparation tax equals one half percent. The payroll preparation tax is levied on Pittsburgh's businesses. This is a harmful policy and kills small business and our jobs outlook. Many retail stores have cut employee hours by one half percent to make up for the tax increase. Pittsburgh's city council, and this tax, takes money away from the hardworking individuals and gives it to special interests. Links * Sales tax * State Taxes * VAT a Value Added Tax, like a sales tax but not exactly * Income tax * Million-dollar-bills * Supply-sider in economics * Flat tax Media * State tax revenue exceeds estimate in 2006 Conservatives see surplus as overtaxation, July 2006, by Tracie Mauriello and Kathleen Haughney, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau -- The state collected $864.4 million more than it needed for the fiscal year that ended June 30, and now critics are sounding off about excessive taxation.